Excavating-machine.



E. E. HUBBARD.

EXGAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1914. 1,1 32,720, Patented Mar; 23, 1915.

Z SHEBTS SHEBT 1.

1H5 NORRIS PETERS C0,. FHOTGLITHQ, WASHINGTON, D. C.

E. E. HUBBARD.

EXGAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1914.

Patented Mar.'23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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A attomm THE NORRIS PETERS c0, FHnTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. c.

ELIAS E. HUBBARD, oFHAnnIsBURe, ILLINOIS, as srenon, BY MEsnn ASSIGNMENTS,

or ONE-HALF T0 HERBERT n. IYIOTT, or HARRISBURG, ILLINOIS.

EXoAvarING-Mlmnnvn 'To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enn s E. 'IIUBBARD, a citizen -of the United States, residingat Harrisburg, in the county of Saline and State of Illinois, have invented} certain new and useful Improvements in Excavating- Machines, of which the following is a speci-' ject of the invention ,is to provide a machine which is so constructed'that the upper the bottom of the ditch.

portion of the machine which carries the traveling buckets may be tilted at the proper angle to remove soil from a ditch.

Another object of the invention is to so mount the carriage which carries the endless digging means that the carriage will move downwardly as the machine is operated and thus cause the buckets to dig into Another object of the invention is to provide improved'ineans for holding the .ma-,

, along the line 33 of Fig. ,2; Fig. 4 is a perspective View of one of the digging buckets Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of the upperend portion of one of the side bars of the frame which carries the carriage; and Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional View taken through the frame and carriage and along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2 with the buckets and supporting chains removed.

The frame-is provided with side bars 10 and 11 which are connected at the upper end by the cross rod 12 having its ends mounted in the bars and extending beyond the outer faces of the bars to provide means for engaging the upper ends of the bracing rods 14. The lower ends of the side bars 10 and 11 are secured to the base boards 15 by means of the hinges 16 so that the frame may be angularly adjusted and may be laid I cally I adjusted. position.

Specification of Letters Patent. P m t dm 23, 1915. Application filed January 22, 1914., Serial No. 812,724.

upon the base boards, or hcldin a Vertiare carried'by the bascgboards' 15 and are provided with openings 18 through which set screws 19*pass toengagethe side barsflO Arcuate strips 17 and 11 and securely hold the frame in an angularly-adjusted position.

A carriage is slid-ably mounted between the side bars 10 and 11 of the frame and is provided with side bars 20 which are providedwith' fingers 21 positioned upon opposite sides of the tracks 22 carried by the side bars of the frame. A threaded shaft 23 is rotatably supported by cross bars 24: and 25 which connect the side bars 20and carries a" bevel gear 26 at its upper end which mesheswith a bevel gear 27 rigidly mounted upon the operating shaft 28. This shaft 28 is mounted in journal brackets 29 carried by the side bars 20'of the carriage and extends through slots 30 formed in the side bars, '10" and: 11 of the frame. Handles 31 are mounted upon the end portions of the shaft 28 and extend in opposite directions so that the shaft may be easily rotated by two persons.

It is. of course, obvious that if desired, the.

handlemay be removed and a pulley wheel put in place so that the shaft 28 may be driven by a suitable engine connected with the pulley by means of a suitable belt. A

yoke 32 is secured to the side bars of the r frame by means of th ebolts 33 and is pro: 1

vided with a sleeve 34 for holding the yoke about the shaft; 23. This leaf 3% is hingednto the yoke as shown M35 and is releasablyheld in a closed position by a suitable dethus be: seen that the shaft 23 will be permitted to be threaded through the yoke but will be prevented from being disengaged: from the yoke. It will thus be seen that when the shaft 28 is rotated, the rotary motion will be transmitted to the shaft 23, thus causing the shaft to rotate in the'socket 37; formed in the yoke and causing the carriage to be gradually moved downwardly.

The cross bar 25 which is secured to the side bars of the carriage by means of the clamps 38 also provides means upon which the sprocket wheels 39 are rotatably mounted. Thesprocket chains 40 pass aroundthe sprocket wheels 39 and also pass around sprocket wheels 41 which are rigidly mounted upon the shaft 28. It will thus be seen that when the shaft 28 is rotated, the

vice passed through the opening 36. Itwill sprocket chains will be caused to move about the sprocket Wheels thereby causing the buckets 42 which are carried by the sprocket chains to dig into the ditch and convey the dirt up out of the ditch as shown at Fig. l.'

Each of these buckets comprises a body portion 43 which is secured to the chains by means of rivets passing through the openings as The free portion of the body portion is bent to form the digging and holding element -15 and the side portions are bent to form the flanges 46 which prevent the dirt from sliding out of the buckets as the buckets move upwardly. When the buckets move over the upper sprocket wheels 41, the dirt moves across the body portion 43 and falls into the scoop 47 which is secured to the side bars 10 and 11 by means of its handles 48 and the dirt is thus conveyed to the side of the ditch and deposited in a pile.

An excavating machine has thus been provided which can be used for any digging purposes and which is so constructed that the bucket-carrying carriage will be gradually moved downwardly as the dirt is removed from the ditch. There has also been provided a digging machine in which the frame may be held at any angle desired, and thus cause the ditch to be cut diagonally into the ground if desired. It should be further noted that this machine is so co'n-' structed that it may be folded into a very compact mass and therefore permitted to be stored in a relatively small amount of space.

What is claimed is:

a cross bar forming part of said frame and provided with a threaded cut out, a threadcd shaft rotatably supported by said carriage and passing through the threaded cut out of said cross bar, a threaded closure for said out out holding said shaft therein, digging means carried by said carriage, and means for operating said digging means and and provided rotating said threaded shaft to move said carriage when said digging means is in operation.

2. An excavator comprising a frame including side bars provided with slots, a carriage slidably connected with said frame, a driving shaft rotatably supported by said carriage and extending through the slots of said frame, a cross bar forming part of said frame and provided with a threaded cut out, a threaded shaft rotatably supported by said carriage and passing through the threaded cut out of, said cross bar, a threaded closure for said out out holding said shaft therein, sprocket wheels rotatably mounted adjacent the bottom of said carriage,

" sprocket wheels rigidly mounted upon said driving shaft, sprocket chains passing around said sprocket wheels, digging means carried by said sprocket chains, and means for transmitting rotary motion from said driving shaft to said threaded shaft.

3. An excavator comprising a frame, a cross bar forming part of said frame and provided with a cut-out portion forming a section of a threaded opening, a closure carried by said cross bar and fitting within said cut-out portion and cooperating with the threaded portion of said cut-out portion to form a threaded opening in said cross bar, a carriage slidably mounted in said frame with side bars passing through the end portions of said cross bar, a threaded shaft rotatably supported by said carriage and passing through the threaded opening of said cross bar, digging means carried by said carriage and means for operating said digging means rotating said threaded shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELIAS E. HUBBARD. Witnesses F.'L. MULLIMX, MOLLIE MACKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. i 

